Smyrna times., 1887-03-09
The Demon of the Fire.
A REMARKABLE POEM ATTRIBUTED TO
EDGAR ALLEN POE.

NdJC pdp6IS, lclJeTS ana uHllulSp6
work ? Examination of two editions
POe's complete works fails to disclo,
any reference to this Performance
The manner in which the poem com,
to US precludes the idea that an impOs
ton is practiced. The integrity of Il
persons from whose hands we receive
the poem is unimpeachable. The r
semblance to 1.-THE Raven and "Tf
Bells" will be remarked. The pictur,
suggested are such as Poe conceived
there is POe's vigOr and cumulatiN
force. with much of Weirdness tn;
characterizes his strongest poem
" Like phantasmagOric lenans is pr
cisely such a picture as Poe's imagini
tiOn would give us. The person wh
retains the original copy has reason
believe the poem was written at
period when POe's besetting sin brougl
him to the verge of despair.
In the deepest death Of midnight
While the sad and solemn swell
Still was floating, family echoed
From the forests chapel bell
Family laltering, floating,
Ger the sable waves Of air,
That were through the midnight rolling.
Chaied and billowy with the tolling,
In my chamber lay dreaming.
And my dreams were dreams foreshadowed
Of a heart foredoOmed to care.
As the last long lingering echo
Ofthe midnight's mystic chime.
Lisping through the sable billow
Ofthe thither shore OF time,
Leaving on the starry silence
Not shadow nor trace
Ina quivering sigh departed
From my couch, in fear, started
Started to my feet in terror,
For my dreams phantasmal error
Painted in the ftiul fire
frightful fendish, flaming face
On the red hearth S reddeSt centre,
From the blazing knot of oak,
Seemed to grin and gbe the phantom,
As in terror / awoke
And my slumbering eyelids streaming,
As struggled to the floor
Still in that dread vision seeming,
Turned my gaze toward the cleaning
Hearth, and then, oh, God l saw it,
And from its flaming jaw it
Spata ceaseless, seething, kissing.
Bubbling, ghrgling stream Of gore.
SpeechlesS, struck with stony silence.
Frozen to the floor / stood
Till my very brain seemed Kissing
With that kissing, bubbling blood.
Till felt my life stream oozng,
Oozing from those lambent lips.
Till the demon seemed to name LIE,
Then wondrous calm DER came me,
And l fell back Oh my pillow
In apparent soul eclipse
Thus, as in deaths seeming shadows.
In the icy pail of fear,
lay stricken, came hoarse and
Hideous murmur TO my ear:
Came a murmur, like the murmer
OF assassins in their sleep
Muttering higher, higher, higher,
am demon Of the fire,
am archfend Of the fire,
And each blazing roofs thy pyre,
And my sweetest incense is
The blood and tears my victims weep.
How r vel on the prairie,
How roar amidst the pines,
How | laugh as from The village
Der the snow the red flame shines:
How hear the shrieks Of terror.
With life in every breath.
How scream with lambent laughter
As hurl each cracking rafter
Down the fell abyss of fire,
Until higher, higher, higher,
Leap the high priests of my altar.
In their merry dance to death.
" I am monarch Of the fire,
am royal King Of death,
World encircling with the shadow
or its doom upon my breath,
With the symbol of hereafter
Cleaning from my fatal face
command the eternal fire
High, r. Il gher, higher, higher.
Leap my ministering demons,
Like phantasmagore lemans,
Hugging universal nature
In their hideous embrace.
Then sOmbre silence shut me
In her sOlumn shrouded sleep,
And slumbered like an infant
In the cradle of the deep,
Till the belfTy from the forest
Trembled with the matin stroke;
And the martins from the edge
Oftheir lichen-hidden ledge
Shimmered through russet arches,
While the light in torn files marches,
like routed army struggling
Through the serred ranks of oak.
Through my open fretted easement
Filtered in a tremulous note,
From the tall and shady linden,
Where the robin swelled his throat;
Tiny wOOer, brave-breasted robin.
Quantity calling for his mate,
FFom my slqmber, nightmare. ridden,
With the memory Of that dire
Demon in my central fire
like my eyes in,erior mirror
Like the shadow ola fate
But the iiendish IRE had smOldered
Toa white and formless heap,
And no knot Of oak was blazing
As it blazed upon my sleep.
But ON the red heRrths reddest centre,
Where that demons face had shown,
The shadowy tightening seemed 10 linger
And to point with spectral finger
To a Bible. massive, golden,
On table, carved and Olden,
Aud howed and said. "All power
Is Of God, and God alone"
-PiasbWrg Chronicle.